'Wait, I'm Supposed to Become a Goddess?! But I'm a Guy!'

“Okay,” Klein muttered under his breath as he stepped closer to the woman’s still form on the ground.

He crouched beside her, hesitating slightly, then slowly reached out his hand.

A few feet away, the old man remained suspended in the air, his hand poised above, holding the pill delicately between his fingers.

He didn’t speak, just waited.

"Go on"

Klein glanced up at him.

His lips pressed into a tight line, brows knitting, as if expecting some sort of last-minute objection.

But the old man only offered him a silent nod, a gentle, almost nostalgic look, like an old man watching a youth from a noodle stall bench.

‘Live well, young man.’

The words weren’t spoken, but Klein could practically hear them echo in his head.

A long sigh escaped him.

He shook his head with a helpless, crooked smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

The whole exchange had shifted into something subtle, a mutual deflection.

Both men were stalling, nudging the responsibility toward the other, pretending it was about honor.

But in truth, they were afraid.

And who wouldn’t be?

The woman looked peaceful now, but there was no guarantee she’d remain that way.

Once she woke up… who could say what would happen?

Trust between strangers was already rare.

But trust, alone in a dungeon, surrounded by wilderness, mystery, and no witnesses?

Klein gulped quietly.

Either they helped her and hoped for the best, or they left her and prayed they could outrun whatever else lurked in this forsaken place.

There wasn’t much of a choice.

His fingers finally brushed her cheek.

The contact was surprisingly soft, like clay, warm and pliant.

Carefully, he tilted her chin upward, then used his fingers to part her lips.

The inside of her mouth was damp, a deep red, slick with moisture and delicate membranes clinging to every surface.

“Woah…” he breathed, caught off guard.

Pat!

The old man smacked him on the back of the head. “Don’t get distracted. Gentle, now.”

“R-right!” Klein recoiled slightly, his shoulders tucking in as if trying to make himself smaller.

He nodded quickly and resumed, more carefully this time, easing her mouth open with both hands.

Without another word, the old man let the pill drop, and Klein gently closed her lips over it before scrambling back like he’d just placed a bomb.

The old man zipped into the safety of the ring immediately after.

Ten seconds passed.

Then thirty.

A minute.

Klein stood flat against the cavern wall, chest heaving with every breath.

His hands were spread wide, bracing himself, eyes locked on the unmoving woman.

“Nothing?”

“Nothing?”

They said it at the same time, voices low, anxious.

Then, movement.

A twitch, barely noticeable.

Her fingertips curled and uncurled, then her eyelids fluttered open.

Almost instantly, a pressure filled the air, cold and sharp like a blade drawn across ice.

A chill burst outward.

But before it could reach them, the old man swatted it away with an invisible force, leaving only the faint sting of cold lingering in the air.

“She’s waking up.”

“Shush.”

Both men leaned forward slightly, staring.

The woman stirred slowly.

Her hands shifted to her sides, pressing against the stone floor as she gradually pushed herself upright.

Her movements were sluggish, almost too controlled, like a puppet learning how to move again.

Then, her gaze lifted.

And just by fate, or sheer bad luck, she was facing directly at them.

“Crap.”

Klein’s throat bobbed with a hard swallow.

Their eyes met. His lips twitched. He stretched them into something that vaguely resembled a smile, awkward, tight, and utterly unconvincing.

Peeling himself off the wall, he took a few cautious steps forward, each footstep placed like he was trying not to trigger a trap.

Then he raised a hand, voice cracking out with forced politeness.

“I-It’s nice to meet you.”

…

She didn’t reply.

Her frosted blue eyes simply stared at him, blank, expressionless, unreadable.

The silence between them grew heavier by the second.

In the ring, the old man was cackling silently like he was watching a soap opera unfold.

Klein cleared his throat, trying again. “Umm… my name’s Klein. Uh… how do I put this…”

He scratched the back of his neck, glanced aside, then looked back with a nervous smile. “I saved you?”

It came out more like a question than a statement.

But to his relief, she gave a stiff nod, her eyes narrowing just a touch.

Good, she understands.

Keep going, brat! Keep going! The old man’s voice chirped in his head like a coach from the sidelines.

Klein edged closer, moving with exaggerated care, until he stood right beside her. Their eyes met again. His face reddened slightly.

He smacked his cheeks lightly, then leaned forward.

“A-Are you okay now?”

Another nod. Simple. Bare.

That was enough to show him something about her, maybe she just wasn’t the talkative type.

Talking isn’t her strong suit, huh? he wondered silently, maintaining his strained smile and trying to seem as non-threatening as possible.

“Th-Then…”

“This seat owes you one.”

The voice caught him off guard, cold, clear, and unexpectedly soothing.

It lingered in the air like the tail end of snowfall.

Klein blinked, then bobbed his head. “Ah, yes!”

“I mean no.”

“I mean yes?” he fumbled, his words tumbling over each other like mismatched shoes.

What was with the way she referred to herself?

It’s a formal self-reference, the old man chimed in. Used by Awakeners who place themselves above others. Rare, but not unheard of. Not my style, though.

Ah, got it.

Klein refocused, smile faltering but holding. “T-Then, senior…”

“You wish to leave this underground dungeon?” she interrupted smoothly. “This seat understands.”

He blinked. “Uh… yes?”

“Returning the way you came won’t be possible anymore,” she said, shaking her head slightly. “There’s a restriction. The passage only allows entry, not exit.”

Klein’s brows furrowed. “Wait, what?”

“There’s a reason why you entered without issue,” she continued. “But leaving the same way? Impossible. The formation forbids it.”

His mouth opened, then shut again.

“But,” she added, her tone softening just slightly, “there is a teleportation array on the third layer of this underground dungeon.” 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“T-third layer?”

Underground dungeon?! Haha! Called it! the old man crowed from the ring.

Klein, meanwhile, just stood there, processing everything with a blank expression.

And a sense of sinking dread.

Seeing his reaction, the woman didn’t linger on explanations. Her voice came out cool and soft, barely above a whisper. “Let me show you.”

Zoom.

“Huh”

“Argh!”

Before Klein could process her words, she flicked her hand with effortless grace.

A sudden surge of energy engulfed his body, snapping him off his feet.

His shout was swallowed by a wave of distortion as his vision fractured, colors bleeding together like spilled paint across glass.

A beat later, wind rushed past his ears, fluttering his hair and tugging at his clothes.

He cracked his eyes open hesitantly, unsure of what to expect, only to freeze at the vast, breathtaking scene sprawled below.

“This…?”

‘No wonder this place can hold a tier 7 true lord monster… it’s massive beyond belief,’ the old man muttered in his mind. ‘Really… how did a place like this come to exist?’

Below them stretched an endless expanse of emerald wilderness, broken by mountain chains curling like ancient dragons sleeping beneath the earth.

Jagged peaks stabbed toward the sky, their tops shrouded in drifting mist, yet none could pierce the ceiling of the colossal cavern enclosing it all.

“Can we even call this a dungeon anymore…?” Klein murmured, awe soaking into every word. “It looks more like a world of its own.”

They were currently seated atop a massive ice flower, crystalline petals rotating slowly as it floated high in the air.

Its surface was wide enough to walk across, its motion silent as it soared like a comet above the landscape.

Below, the terrain unraveled like a moving painting.

Strange creatures prowled through the brush, some with familiar features, others so alien that even the old man in the ring remained speechless.

Curiosity pricked at him.

Floating upward from the ring like a faint wisp, the old man clasped his hands together, his tone carefully respectful as he greeted the woman.

“This young lady… Greetings"

“No need for introductions,” she said plainly, her hand waving off his words.

She stood in a posture so natural it was almost casual, yet on her, even standing still looked like poetry. “I knew you were there from the start.”

Her gaze lifted slightly, meeting his ethereal form with mild interest flashing behind her pale blue eyes. “You must be this boy’s master, yes?”

“Ah, yes! Yes, of course. I am indeed his master,” the old man chuckled, straightening his back. “I was the one who guided him. I even taught him the noble path of alchemy!”

He gave a small boast, but the woman only offered a shallow nod in response.

“You’re fortunate to have met him,” she said. “I can sense traces of the boy’s energy within your spirit. It seems the two of you have made some sort of pact.”

“Ahaha… yes, indeed,” the old man coughed lightly, clearly caught, but trying to play it cool. “It was a fortunate encounter. If he hadn’t stumbled across my ring… well, the last remnants of my soul would’ve vanished by now.”

“Death,” she said flatly, letting the word hang in the air like a pebble dropped in still water.

The old man stiffened at her bluntness, then forced a brittle smile. “Y-yes.”

Meanwhile, Klein remained near the edge of the flower, his eyes glued to the scenery gliding beneath them.

His gaze glittered, taking in every towering tree and impossible mountain with reverence.

It was the first time he’d seen anything on such a grand scale. Even the forests he thought vast were reduced to mere patches compared to this.

Behind him, the two continued their conversation.

The old man didn’t pry into her private affairs. Instead, his questions circled the nature of this place, its scale, its origin.

The deeper he thought about it, the more unsettling it felt.

Dungeons of this size weren’t just rare, they were mythical. Perhaps such places existed deeper within the inner regions, but even then…

Regardless, one truth stood firm: if the human true lords ever learned about this place, they would stop at nothing to claim it.

'even those old monsters might come out'

The dangers here were undeniable, but so were the opportunities.

The ice petals beneath their feet hummed faintly as they continued forward at speed.

Without turning her head, the woman suddenly asked, “Judging from the faint aura left in your soul, you were stronger than me in your prime, weren’t you?”

“You’ve got a sharp eye, little miss,” the old man grinned with pride, puffing out his chest despite having no body. “I was once a Tier 8 True King, an overlord of this region and the neighboring ones.”

“But I was arrogant. When I realized my lifespan was nearing its end, I grew desperate. I sought a breakthrough to the next realm, the True Emperor Realm"

"But no matter how gifted I was… no matter how many miracles I found, the gap was too wide"

"In the end, I died with regret, leaving behind a sliver of soul, clinging to a ring, hoping for one last chance to make a comeback"

“I see…” she murmured, her tone quiet. “The chasm between realms is cruel.”

“Indeed.” The old man sighed, bitterness curling at the edge of his voice. “Such is the tragedy of our kind. Unlike some other races, the human lifespan is too short.”

Her gaze flicked toward Klein again. He was still staring ahead, seemingly entranced by the world moving beneath him.

“Then… are you planning to take over his body?” she asked, not aloud, but directly into the old man’s mind.

He chuckled, gently shaking his head. “No. I don’t intend to harm the boy. He’s the reason I’ve lasted this long. What I seek now is simple, just a chance to craft a new body, using the right materials and rare herbs. Then I can return to the path of the Awakeners.”

“I see…” she said again, though her voice carried a hint of something else this time, perhaps understanding.

The flower picked up speed, slicing through the air with increasing momentum. Their destination, it seemed, was still ahead.